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Mysticals
Mysticals is an original ideal by Tabatha McCormick. Left unfinished, the work now resides in the hands of Zavior When Aelyn runs away from her abusive home, she ends up stumbling into a portal that takes her to a new reality. With the help of the people she meets, she seeks to find a way back to own world. Prologue: THE GATE It was a perfect little escape from reality so picturesque that one could almost swear by its authenticity. A heavenly sun smiled down upon the tree tops, lighting and pouring compelling warmth to the forest below. Every single tree, bush and vine seemed to radiate with such vibrant colors from their leaves to their roots possibly suggesting that an aura of magic permeated the air. A cool breeze flowing through area gave a nice complimenting contrast to the sun’s heat and served to highlight the serene nature of the woods. It was almost perfect. The only thing that seemed out of place was the rodent. It wasn’t so much that the creature might be considered by some as vermin that shattered the reality of the scene; it was that this rodent in question was wearing a hodgepodge of patched rags and was humming to himself as he examined the plants around him. His garbs and vocalizations were not the only odd things about the quirky critter. He moved about in such a clumsy and carefree manner that he was completely oblivious to anything but the plants he studied and his straw hat which he continuously fidgeted with. Every now and then his humming would turn into a quizzical “hmmm” as a plant caught his interest and he would roll a tooth pick of wheat that he had in his mouth. After every pause he would share a giggle with the plant he was inspecting before moving on to the next set after adjusting his hat again. He never quite seemed to find what he was looking for. Luck or perhaps fate smiled upon the hapless rodent. As he approached the next bush, its rustling followed by the loud crack of a branch behind it couldn’t escape even his notice. What came next all happened very quickly. He froze for a moment, as all creatures do when they are startled. His mouse-like ears and nose perked up to listen and sniff the air for impending danger. Within a fraction of a second fear drew over his countenance, pulling his eyes open wide as his senses told him exactly what it was that stalked him. Barely an instant later he started running for his life just before a blur came at him from the bushes. He held his hat firmly to his head with his tiny paws as he ran just as clumsily and ungracefully as one might suspect from his earlier movements. Squeaks for help were only answered by growls from the deadly black predator as the no longer tranquil forest came alive with sounds of the chase. The enemy was gaining on his prey and with every inch the cries of terror became all the more desperate. Luck played a hand once again as a small hole in the ground parted by tree roots presented itself as an escape. For both of them the time had become now or never and they simultaneously leaped towards their goals. The mousey critter looked back in time to see his assailant smash head first into the roots as the sound of loud school bell began to ring. Aelyn awoke with a start as if she had been the one being chased. Once again she had been day dreaming in class and completely missed the lesson. Now the bell was signaling that it was time to head home. The more eager classmates around her were already barreling out the door; their things having been packed during The Shuffle: The last five minutes of class when students realize that it’s leaving time soon and begin to rudely pack before the teacher is actually finished lecturing. Aelyn herself would be the last to leave her classroom today, collecting her things with a look of dismay from her instructor that her eyes shied away from. {[]}She reflected back on her dream as she gathered her things. Everything had seemed so real and she even fretted for the life of the poor creature she had imagined. For a moment she considered that it might just be more than a simple reverie, but she ruled out such thoughts as silly. The high school junior often dreamed of such fantasies though they normally were not quite so frightening in nature. Sometimes she imagined a large and colorful palace whose walls surrounded a city bustling with activity. Her imagination would examine not only the residents of the palace, but even those citizens going about their lives in the city beyond. Other times she would dream of small villages filled with many numerous creatures fitting a description similar to the little mouse that was being chased. Whatever her flight of imagination was the setting always seemed set in medieval fantasy. The only problem with them was that Aelyn visited these daydreams a little more often than her own reality. Similar to how she had accidentally ignored the class; Aelyn ignored the look from her teacher as she hoisted her backpack behind her and walked out of the room. In the hallway she ignored the noise of all the kids scrambling to get to their lockers and their rides home. Amidst the flying papers and shuffling feet, the shy girl’s thoughts were starting to drift again; though this time she was attempting to face reality for a moment. Though she wasn’t the brightest student in her class, she studied hard and her grades were high. However she feared that if she continued to lose herself as much as she had lately that her marks would begin to slip. Then she would have to face her mother and father. It was the latter of the two that actually scared her. That wasn’t a danger yet so she sighed the thought away, using the gust to her advantage to push a stray brown streak of hair away from her eyes. Now outside and on the short walk home, her imagination took off again. The world around her changed as she strolled on home. Paved streets became dirt roads in a small olden style town. The sidewalk on which she stepped turned into lush grass or more dirt getting on the bottoms of her boots. She lifted her boots to examine them with an expecting smile and sigh. Cars that drove on by transfigured into carriages drawn by various colors and breeds of horses. People that she passed or walked by exchanged their garments of modern dress for thirteenth and fourteenth century stylizations. The houses and buildings dramatically changed their structures into those made of stone and wood. Some even became straw huts or market stands for selling many goods from food to clothing. One house became a blacksmith shop with its owner toiling away on his latest creations. Up ahead of her in the distance was that tall palace she was so used to seeing. She envisioned herself that she might one day get to visit that palace and meet the princess that lived there or better yet the charming prince. That last thought put a wide grin on her face below her glazed eyes. Aelyn’s own home came in to view, a cozy little house found nestled in the middle of a clearing of trees. A smooth stone walkway lightly wound its way from the street, welcoming visitors up to the front porch. At either side of porch were two stone pillars standing tall; each sporting oil lanterns that gave the place a warm and inviting feel even if they were unlit during the day time. Towards the side of the house, a large well kempt garden sported all sorts of plants including sections of flowers, different assortments of berries and a decent selection of vegetables. In the center of it all was a small pool surrounded by an upraised circle of stones that matched those of the house and walkway. One could tell by simply looking from the street that this entire oasis was carefully tended to by loving hands. With a cheerful smile Aelyn approached her happy sanctuary. Any minute now she would be greeted and embraced by her mother and father who were no doubt waiting for her. Dressed in noble vestments, the loving couple was already smiling back at her from the patio as she walked the pathway leading to it. She glanced over at the garden to see that her favorite flowers were now in full bloom before looking back at her parents again and waving. Everything would be perfect if it wasn’t for the shouting in the background. Some angry man was rambling on with slurred speech, threating to tear her away from her nice walk down the cobble stones. She was doing her best to put it out of her mind, but it grew louder every time she took a step towards her house. The breaking of glass ensured that she could avoid the commotion no longer. At such a jarring noise, her daydream vanished, taking the heartwarming scene of her parents with it. Aelyn wanted to believe so badly that her little illusion was real, but her father’s screams could be ignored no longer. The stones under her feet returned to bland concrete as the garden and its crystal clear pool faded from existence. Her heart sank and already her spirits were sent to the lowest depths of her stomach. Hearing the insults and curses of her father’s drunken rage made her take a deep breath and sigh. All thoughts of a happy homecoming were now poisoned with the verity of the situation. This was the girl’s true reality. Her father was an abuser of not only the drink, but his wife and child. Her house was not a sanctuary; it was a dungeon with a terrible warden. This time he was much worse than usual. The door had been left wide open and that might have been the reason for the entire argument. It was anyone’s guess at this point for the man was beyond logical reason. Aelyn approached anyway. She was used to being shouted at and as long as she kept quiet, the beatings never seemed to hurt too much. Her usual action was just to freeze. Then whatever happened simply happened. A glimpse of her mother, badly beaten, weeping and lying on the ground caught her eye. The woman turned to see Aelyn’s approach and started to cry out to her. “No! Don’t come any closer! Just run to a friend’s house for tonight. Please!” Her father was confused for a moment responding with a refueled anger in his tone. “Who are you talking to?” He followed his wife’s gaze and leaned his head out to see who might be at the door. “You!? What is your useless face doing here?” The hulking man started to lumber after his child looking more like a crazed monster than a man. Her mother called to her again. “Aelyn run! Just run and get away from here!” “Yeah! That’s right! You better run!” Her father taunted, “Because you’re next!” If it was the impending danger of the situation or her mother’s pleas that shook her to action, Aelyn couldn’t tell. Her feet simply sprang into action and she ran filled with absolute terror. There was no direction to her flight. Her only concern was to escape. If he should catch her now, she believed that he would kill her. She wiggled out of her backpack to lighten her load, letting it fall to the ground behind her. Not even chancing a look back at either her belongings or her father, she continued on until her legs could run no more. That very location happened to be on a wooden bridge that crossed high over a small pond. Aelyn grabbed a hold of the boards acting as rail guards and finally attempted to catch her breath. Heaving over the edge of the beams she looked back at where she had come from with her eyes wide in fear, waiting to see if he would catch up to her. When all looked clear, she sat down at the edge of that bride at the highest point over the pond. Sitting down, she was easily able to fit below the railing with nothing keeping her from the water below. Her mind suddenly raced over thoughts of what just transpired. Concern for her mother was her first thought with anger at her father what he had done and might likely be doing now following after. Not for the first time she wished she could actually escape to the places in her fantasies instead of having to exist in the life she currently knew. A strange sound started emanating from the pool below her: The sound of harp strings being plucked in a set of descending tones. The poor girl thought that her imagination might be acting up again. Having been given a full does reality, that harp caused it all her collected thoughts to come crashing down upon her. Her mother might be in serious trouble. Her father might be looking to kill either of them. Her entire life her father had been like this and not she nor her mother had told anyone. To top it all off, she didn’t even know where she was anymore. Aelyn began to cry. She covered her eyes as the tears poor fourth from them. Once again she wished more than anything to leave her reality behind. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind then she began to fall down into the pond. She didn’t recall leaning over too far, but she started plummeting nonetheless. When she reached the water’s edge there was neither a splash nor instant chill as she expected. She just continued sinking ever deeper, looking up and watching the world above disappear from sight. Now much father above her, the bridge was the last thing she remembered before passing out.